Shuurai
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Chapter 110
🕑 Added 2025-06-28 14:21:54 +0000 UTCHer eyes widen as recognition dawns, and she nudges the person next to him. Soon, a small crowd has gathered, all staring at their former emperor with expressions ranging from confusion to cautious hope.
Valerius looks at them. These people he failed. These people he cursed. These people suffered unimaginable horror because of his choices.
And then he cried.
The sob that tears from his throat is raw, primal. He collapses to his knees in the grass, his whole body shaking as he sees them healthy, human, alive. A thousand years of guilt and grief pour out of him all at once.
"I'm sorry," he chokes out between sobs. "I'm so, so sorry."
The crowd watches in stunned silence as their emperor weeps for them, for what he did, for what they all lost.
"I failed all of you. Can you ever forgive me?"
Some nod. Some turn away. Some just stare, not knowing what to feel.
The silence stretches on for what feels like forever. Some of his former subjects just stare, others whisper among themselves, and a few actually step forward like they want to help him up. But nobody knows what to say.
What do you say to the man who destroyed your entire world and then somehow brought you back?
Then an older man with graying hair finally speaks up. "Your Majesty..." His voice is hesitant, uncertain. "What are we supposed to do now?"
That's when it hits everyone. The celebration, the joy of being human again, the relief of being free—all of that fades as reality sets in.
Their empire is gone. Has been gone for a thousand years.
Their homes, their cities, their entire civilization—wiped from the map like it never existed.
"We can't go back," a woman says, and her voice cracks. "There's nothing left to go back to."
"The world has moved on without us," another voice adds. "We're... we're refugees in our own land."
More voices join in, and Aiden can hear the panic starting to build.
"Where will we live?"
"What about our children? How do we feed them?"
"Do we even belong to this time?"
Valerius looks up from his hands, and his face is a mess of tears and guilt. "This is my fault.”
The crowd's getting more agitated by the second. Some are crying, some are arguing among themselves, and a few look like they're about to bolt into the forest.
Aiden was about to step in when Irene beat him to it.
"Wait," she says, her voice cutting through the chaos. All eyes turn to her. "I might have an idea."
She walks forward, standing between Valerius and his people. "You're right that you can't go back to your old lands. And integrating with the Kingdom of Midi and the surrounding would be... difficult…"
Some of the crowd nods reluctantly. She's not wrong.
"But," Irene continues, and there's something in her tone that makes everyone lean forward. "There is another option."
She turns to face the whole group. "South, there's an entire continent. Completely uninhabited by humans. Rich land, fresh water, perfect climate for farming and building new cities."
Hope flickers in a few faces, but someone calls out, "Why hasn't anyone settled there before?"
Irene's expression turns grim. "Because it's crawling with monsters. Extremely dangerous ones.”
The hope dies pretty quickly.
But then Aiden starts grinning.
“Which is not a problem because you have me.”
Irene looked at him and smiled.
Aideen turns his head to address Valerius and his people. "Here's what we're going to do. We're going to that continent, I'm going to clear out every monster stupid enough to get in our way, and then you're all going to build yourselves a new home."
"You'd do that?" Valerius asks, struggling to his feet. "After everything I've done?"
"I'm not doing it for you," Aiden tells him bluntly. "I'm doing it for them. They deserve a chance to start over."
He looked around at the crowd. "And honestly? Fighting a continent full of monsters sounds like exactly the kind of fun I've been missing."
The former emperor's people start murmuring among themselves again, but this time it's different. This time there's actual hope in their voices.
Even through his tears, Valerius almost manages a smile at that.
"But that's for tomorrow," Aiden says, clapping his hands together. "Tonight, we celebrate."
He reaches into his inventory, and suddenly golden light starts spilling out everywhere. Tables materialize out of thin air, massive wooden things that could seat twenty people each. Then come the chairs, carved and cushioned, appearing in perfect rows.
"What are you doing?" Irene asks, but she's smiling.
"What does it look like?" Aiden grins as he pulls out more items. "These people just got their lives back. They deserve a proper feast."
Platters of food start appearing on the tables. Roasted meats that smell incredible, fresh bread still warm from the oven, fruits and vegetables in every color imaginable. Entire wheels of cheese, bowls of soup that steam in the cool air, pastries that look like they came from the finest bakeries.
The former citizens of the Ishgar Empire stare in amazement as the feast grows bigger and bigger.
"How much food do you have in there?" someone calls out.
"Enough," Aiden says simply, still pulling out dishes.
Wine appears next. Bottles and bottles of it, along with ales and fruit juices for those who don't drink alcohol. Glasses catch the light as they're set on every table.
"This is incredible," Valerius breathes, watching the banquet take shape.
"This is nothing," Aiden waves him off. "Wait until you see what I've got for dessert."
The crowd starts moving toward the tables, hesitant at first, then with growing excitement. Families sit together, friends find each other, and for the first time since they were freed from their curse, they look truly happy.
Aiden steps back to admire his work. Dozens of tables filled with the best food money can buy, hundreds of people who thought they'd never taste anything again, and the sound of joy filling the air.
"Not bad for an impromptu dinner party," he says to himself.
Irene walks up and sits beside him, Astra floating nearby.
“You really are kind..” Irene said to him.
Aiden glanced at her, then back at the crowd. "Just doing what needs to be done."
"No," she says quietly, watching as a group of children laugh while trying to pet Blaze.
“You didn't have to make this special for them. But you did anyway."
Aiden kept silent, shrugging, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the praise.
Levis was at his own table, eating what looks like an entire roasted turkey. A crowd of former citizens watches in fascination as the massive Pokemon manages to eat with surprising delicacy.
"Is that... is that a dragon?" one of them whispers.
"He's a Pokemon," Aiden calls out. "They're all friends. Well, mostly friends. Don't try to pet him when he's eating."
As if on cue, the massive sea serpent Pokemon surfaces in a nearby stream, causing several people to jump back in alarm. But when Gyarados just starts peacefully eating some fish Aiden tossed to him, the crowd relaxes.
She's right. Aiden notices how some of the former citizens keep staring at their clothes, clearly trying to figure out the differences in fashion and style.
"Think they'll adapt okay?" he asks.
"They have to," Irene says softly. "But looking at them now... I think they will. They're stronger than they know."
A small girl with curly brown hair runs up to our table, clutching something in her hands.
"Mister," she says, looking up at me with big, curious eyes. "Are you really going to fight all the monsters?"
Aiden leans down to her level. "Every single one."
"Even the really big scary ones?"
"Especially those ones."
She grins and holds out what she's been carrying—a small wooden flower, roughly carved but made with obvious care. "My daddy made this for me before... before the bad thing happened. I want you to have it."
Aiden takes the flower carefully, like it's made of glass. "This is beautiful. Are you sure you want to give it to me?"
She nods vigorously. "For luck! So you don't get hurt when you fight the monsters."
"Thank you," I say, tucking the wooden flower into my jacket pocket. "I'll keep it safe."
She beams and runs back to her parents, who wave at me gratefully.
Irene's watching me with that expression again—the one he can't quite read.
“What?”
“Fufu.. Nothing.” Irene smiled.
The feast goes on for hours.
Valerius sits at a table by himself, picking at his food. Every so often, someone approaches him—some angry, some grateful, most just confused. He takes it all without complaint, answering their questions as best he can.
"Think he'll be okay?" Irene asks, following my gaze.
"He'll have to be," Aiden says. "Redemption isn't something you get handed to you. You have to earn it every day."
As the night wears on and people start to settle down, Aiden stands up and clears my throat. The conversations gradually die down as everyone turns to look at me.
"Tomorrow, we start preparing for the move south," He announced.
Some worried murmurs ripple through the crowd.
"But," he continued, raising my voice slightly, "you've already survived the impossible. You've been given a second chance that most people never get. And you won't be doing this alone."
He gestures to Irene, who stands beside me. "We'll be with you every step of the way. We'll clear the land, help you build your cities, and make sure you have everything you need.”
An elderly man near the front raises his hand. "Why? Why are you doing all this for us?"
"Because everyone deserves a home," Aiden says finally. "And because sometimes, when you have the power to make things right, that's exactly what you should do."
The crowd erupts in cheers and applause.
Valerius stands up slowly, his chair scraping against the grass. The noise gradually dies down as people notice him.
"My people," he says, his voice carrying across the gathering despite its softness. "I know I have no right to ask anything of you. I know that my actions caused all of this suffering. But I want you to know—I will spend every remaining day of my life trying to make amends."
He looks around at all of them, tears streaming down his face. "You are free now. You have a chance at a new life, a better life. Don't let my failures define your future."
Someone in the crowd calls out, "We forgive you, Your Majesty!"
Others join in, voices overlapping:
"You were deceived!"
"It wasn't really your fault!"
"We're all free now—that's what matters!"
Valerius breaks down completely, sobbing as his people—the people he failed, the people he cursed—offer him the forgiveness he never thought he deserved.
Aiden catches Irene wiping her eyes.
"Okay," He says loudly, clapping my hands together. "Enough crying for one night! Tomorrow we plan our expedition, but tonight we celebrate!"
The music starts up again, and people begin dancing on the grass.
Irene and Aiden sat back down, watching it all unfold.
"Thank you," she says quietly.
"For what?"
"For showing me what true strength looks like." She pauses. "And for reminding me that sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is choose mercy."
"Just doing what felt right."
"No," she says firmly. "You're doing what's right. There's a difference."
As the night winds down and people start finding places to sleep under the open sky, I stand up and stretch. Tomorrow will bring new challenges, new responsibilities. But tonight?
Tonight, people found hope again.
